Halloween Statues with Monster Mud Made From Joint Compound and Latex Paint
DIY Halloween Statues
Monster Mud
This stuff is so Awesome!! So what is Monster Mud? It is a mixture of joint compound and latex paint. It makes an strong concrete-like paste, that you can use to DIY Monster Mud Halloween statues. Monster Muc can also be used for anything else whare you are looking to get a faux-concrete finish.
If you haven’t heard of it, then you have to check it out! If you are looking to create a larger than life statue for Halloween then you’re in the right place! The recipe is simple and you can use just about anything to make them. These Halloween statues are amazing!
Before we begin I must say my husband is the real artist of these statues. I helped in the creative process, sourcing materials, and taking notes on everything to pass along to you! He Made them for a Halloween production and they turned out truly amazing! Way too awesome not to share!
Please contact me if you are looking for larger than life Halloween statues for your production. samantha@detroitdeco.com
Giant Monster Mud Halloween Statues
Giant Monster Mud Halloween statues made from joint compound and latex paint.
Monster Mud
A Heavy base is required to hold this giant statue from toppling over. One important thing to remember when making your own. A frame of 2″x 4″‘s set in concrete adds weight to the base and keeps it steady.
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How to Make a Mud Monster Giant using Joint Compound and Latex Paint
The Base and Frame of Your Statue
We all know we need some bones!
First things first, you will want to figure out what faux concrete statue you want to make. The statues above are a giant skeleton Grimm reaper style, but you could do witch, gargoyles, Frankenstein, or a cemetery with tombstones. In the pictures below you will see wall hangings with skulls popping out of them. This was made stapling the cloth to the frame and pushing the skulls out against the cloth and monster mudding them.
Whichever statue you decide to make, you will need to plan the skeleton or frame that is going to hold up your statue. In the picture below, you can see the bases and frames of the statues. Besides the materials for the base, the body arms, legs, and head will need a supporting structure. To start you will use the wood coming from the base. From there you will attach different materials for you to mud on.
In these statues (you can see below) the 2″ x 4″‘s come up from the attached base. Have an intersecting 2″ x 4″ across the top for his shoulders and arms, and a piece for the neck, with supports to drill the skull on to. Once the wood frame and head are in place you will want chicken wire for more depth, a bunch of cloth for draping, and skeleton hands. If you don’t have hands, you can just drape the cloth out over where the hands would be. Other accessories you may want are more skulls, burlap for a different texture, faux chains, crows, brooms, spiders, bats, or anything else you think will complete your monster to make him more awesome.
The Base
First, you will start with the base. One thing is for sure! if you are making anything that has height, you are going to need a very heavy base. The largest statue has two H shaped bases made of railroad ties. Stacked on top of one each other and boarded together. This made a large heavy box for the statue’s base. Once the base was painted it looked really nice.
The other Mud Monster has a different style base. He is in a five-gallon Homer bucket. Place the 2×4’s in the five-gallon bucket going all the way to the bottom. You may want to attach a piece of wood between the two so they stay standing apart in the bucket. Then fill the bucket with Quik Crete. Once the boards set in the concrete, you will have a strong, sturdy, heavy base. Please note, if you are going to build your base this way, make sure you have enough time for the concrete to fully dry before you plan to start building your monster. Otherwise, the boards will move and you will have a crooked monster and risk it falling over.
The Frame
Once the Base is set, if you haven’t already attached wood for the arms, neck, and head, you can do that now. Once all, the wood is in place and you have attached the head. Then, you can use chicken wire to give the monster some depth so he is not so thin with just a cloth. It will also give you places to tuck the cloth into when draping it to dress your monster.
To attach the chicken wire you can use a large washer that is bigger than the mesh holes in the chicken wire and screw it to the wood. Screw all the loose ends of the chicken wire to the wood leaving excess for shaping. Then shape the wire to bulge out in the areas you want.
For instance, if you were making a witch statue and wanted a big hump on her back. You could use the chicken wire to make the hump that the cloth will drape over. Now that you have your base and frame ready it is time to move on to the messy fun stuff!
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Monster Mud Recipe
You can find the supplies for Monster Mud at a local home depot. Make sure to grab a Homer bucket or two! You’ll need one for mixing and the other for placing your drill mixer and other dirty tools in.
This recipe was refrenced fromWoodLoom
Supplies:
- At least one if not more, Five-Gallon Buckets
- A bucket of Premixed Drywall Joint Compound (1 five-gallon bucket) the darker the color the better
- A Gallon of Latex Paint, (1 gallon) (interior or exterior)
- A Power Drill and a Drill Mixer Bit
- A Putty Knife or Spackle Blade
- A Paint Stick for mixing by hand
- Gloves
- Rags
- Plastic Sheet to protect the floor
- Hose, bucket, or water nearby for washing
- The Monsters frame or Decorations you are mudding
Now that you have gathered all of your supplies and you have your base and frame for your monster set and ready to build on. Start off by protecting the floor. You can start off by laying down a plastic sheet to protect the floor. Make sure you have enough room to walk all-around your statue, so you are able to drape and mud your monster evenly.
Place your statue base and frame on the protected area, along with the rest of the supplies. Get your power drill and connect the drill mixer to it.
Scoop Out Joint Compound
This recipe will be five parts joint compound to 1 part latex paint. The paint could stain your skin so go ahead and put your gloves on. Open your joint compound and scoop out a generous amount. The compound is like a thick heavy dough and not the easiest to work with. You can use jour hands, a putty, or spackle knife to help handle the compound.
Now Add The Paint
Now shake your exterior paint well and open it up. Remember we are going for a five to one ratio so keep that in mind when pouring your paint. Pour in as much latex paint as you think you’ll need. Remember you are going for five parts joint compound one part paint. It is ok if it is a little off. The color of your paint doesn’t matter, you can use any color you would like. Though darker colors are better for making the monster look more like concrete. You can also mix in colored paint tint while you are mixing the compound.
Mix with The Drill Mixer
Once you think you have the right amount of latex paint and you’ve added extra color if you want. Then it is time for you to grab your drill mixer. This could get messy so take your time and hold the bucket as you begin to mix. This is going to be a very thick mixture and will not be easy to smooth out quickly. So as I mentioned take your time. You may even want to stop periodically and mix it with your paint stick to make sure the compound is smoothing out. Keep alternating between drill mixer and mixing by hand until you have a smooth even mixture. Once you are satisfied with your mixture you can begin dressing your monster.
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Ideas to Add to Your Mud Monster
Add Light
When your are finished mudding your monster and he is fully dry. Give him some glow and add lights.
Change Directions
Make things even creepier facing the heads in different directions or looking around the corner.
Frame for the Wall
Scrape wood will make a perfect frame if you’re looking for a wall hanging.
Keep it Solo
“A little latex paint and joint compound never hurt anyone….” lol
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Dressing and Draping Your Monster Mud Statue
Now that you have mixed your monster mud you are ready to start dressing and draping your monster. Before that though, A quick note, Your monster mud mixture will last with a sealed lid on it for a few months as long as it is sealed airtight and not frozen.
You can treat the monster mud like paint and brush it on where ever you would like. You can also treat it like paper mache and cover both sides of the dressing to make it stick in between layers and so both sides are hardened and stiff. Just make sure you don’t have big clumps of mud mixture. This will take a very long time to dry. It is best to do thin coats so it all dries and you can always go back and add more. You can paint all the decorations and objects you want with the mud mixture.
Now Let it Dry
When you are finishing up with the final layers make sure everything is exactly how you want it because once it dries there is really no way to change it easily. Give your statue at least a full day (24 hours) to dry. Once fully dry you can place your statue in its proper place. Keep in mind it will be heavy.
So there you go! that’s how to make a larger than life giant Halloween Mud Monster statue! If you make one of your own we would love to see. Stop back by and share your statue in the comments below! Don’t forget to Subscribe! I hope you enjoy DIY-ing your mud monster and I wish you a safe and Happy Halloween!
HALLOWEEN PLANNING
If you haven’t already! Get started planning those Trunk or Treat decorations and costumes. With my FREE Family Halloween Planner
It has shopping lists for your candy, party goodies, and decorations, a Calendar snapshot for planning Halloween events, and a Family Costume Planner for multiple costumes and their sizes, so you won’t forget a thing!
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Detroit Deco 